diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 07deb7fcc..20174137a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ jobs:
           set -x
           make install.tools
 
+          make test
+
           make .gitvalidation
           make docs
           make -C schema test
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index bf058ba37..1ebe2e281 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -54,6 +54,10 @@ endif
 version.md: ./specs-go/version.go
 	go run ./.tool/version-doc.go > $@
 
+.PHONY: test
+test:
+	go test ./...
+
 .PHONY: lint
 lint:
 	golangci-lint run
diff --git a/RELEASES.md b/RELEASES.md
index 071910aed..80b2de480 100644
--- a/RELEASES.md
+++ b/RELEASES.md
@@ -61,8 +61,8 @@ Releases usually follow a few steps:
     * [ ] delete the `(^M|^A|^D)` lines, `:%!grep -vE '(^M|^A|^D)'`
     * [ ] merge multi-commit PRs (so each line has a `(#num)` suffix)
     * [ ] drop hash and indent, `:'<,'> s/^\w*  /^I* /`
-  * [ ] a commit bumping `./specs-go/version.go` to next version and empty the `VersionDev` variable
-  * [ ] a commit adding back the "+dev" to `VersionDev`
+  * [ ] a commit bumping `./specs-go/version.go` to next version and empty the `VersionDev` variable (update `Version` accordingly)
+  * [ ] a commit adding back the "+dev" to `VersionDev` and `Version`
 * [ ] send email to <dev@opencontainers.org>
   * [ ] copy the exact commit hash for bumping the version from the pull-request (since master always stays as "-dev")
   * [ ] count the PRs since last release (that this version is tracking, in the cases of multiple branching), like `git log --pretty=oneline --no-merges --decorate $priorTag..$versionBumpCommit  | grep \(pr\/ | wc -l`
diff --git a/specs-go/version.go b/specs-go/version.go
index 9a985a528..72d57132d 100644
--- a/specs-go/version.go
+++ b/specs-go/version.go
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 package specs
 
-import "fmt"
-
 const (
 	// VersionMajor is for an API incompatible changes
 	VersionMajor = 1
@@ -15,4 +13,4 @@ const (
 )
 
 // Version is the specification version that the package types support.
-var Version = fmt.Sprintf("%d.%d.%d%s", VersionMajor, VersionMinor, VersionPatch, VersionDev)
+var Version = "1.3.0+dev"
diff --git a/specs-go/version_test.go b/specs-go/version_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4b8012d93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/specs-go/version_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+package specs
+
+import (
+	"strconv"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestVersionSynced(t *testing.T) {
+	wantVer := strconv.Itoa(VersionMajor) + "." + strconv.Itoa(VersionMinor) + "." + strconv.Itoa(VersionPatch) + VersionDev
+	if Version != wantVer {
+		t.Fatalf("Version mismatch: got %q, want %q", Version, wantVer)
+	}
+}